| The purpose of the study was to analyze articles focusing on children front birth through eighteen years of age, published In the Journal of Home Economics from 1909–1994. In an effort to understand the priorities of a profession and influences that shaped the development of this journal, the child articles were placed in specialization categories within the profession, assigned to a location context and an age focus, and then categorized according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The child articles were then compared with major socio-historical events. The articles were viewed by the researcher within Brown's model (1985) representing the dialectic view of the profession's history and its fusion with philosophy.; The results of the study indicated that of the total 5,790 major articles published during this time period, 1,206 (20.8%) were child articles. The most prevalent foci of child articles were within the professional themes of Family Relations and Human Development and Nutrition, Health, and Food Management. Published writers were predominately concerned with meeting the self-esteem and physiological needs of Children aged 12–18 years old in a school setting.; The association established between topics of concern addressed by authors of child articles in the Journey of Home Economics and recorded historical events suggests that historical and cultural embeddedness of those professional home economists. What is less clear is correspondence between concerns expressed within child articles and documented activities of the home economics professional organization. |
